The Defence Headquarters said on Monday that Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD) have neutralised 134 Boko Haram/Islamic States of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Borno State.
The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. John Enenche, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, on Monday, said the troops also arrested 16 informants.
According to him, the operation which was coordinated by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, was part of the conclusive phase of OPLD.
The statement read in part: “Several BHT/ISWAP targets were acquired and engaged with precision by Nigerian Army Artillery Regiments across the entire theatre thus delivering accurate fire on the criminals who were seen fleeing in disarray.
“In coordinated artillery bombardments on Timbuktu triangle conducted on May 1 and 2, seven Boko Haram Gun Trucks were destroyed while 78 BHT/ISWAP fighters were killed as confirmed by both aerial and human intelligence.
“Within the same period, another successful artillery engagement to Buk in Damboa Local Government Area resulted in the neutralization of an additional 56 BHT criminals.
“Acting on intelligence that a large number of BHT members were converging at the location, the gallant troops of the Nigerian Army Artillery Regiments acquired and engaged the location with deadly precision, inflicting heavy casualties on them.
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“As confirmed by our intelligence sources, only a handful of the terrorists escaped the location with gunshot wounds, with little chances of survival.
“As the gallant troops continue to overwhelm the criminal elements on all fronts, it is quite apparent that the days of the criminal elements called Boko Haram are indeed numbered.
“Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Buratai, who has been in the Theatre with the troops for the past five weeks congratulated the gallant troops for their resilience, courage and dedication to the noble cause of defending our fatherland against the criminal elements.
“He further urged them to remain focused and ruthless as they take the fight to the fleeing remnants of the enemies of our nation.
“He, therefore, encouraged Nigerians to provide credible information to our Troops as the Nigerian Military remain resolute in tackling the security challenges of the country.”
Enenche further disclosed that 16 high profile Boko Haram informants have been arrested by the troops in the last two weeks.
He noted that the arrest of such high profile informants had significantly dislocated the terrorists’ information/communication and supply chains.
